Ill IIGBfilTl ttSSiraSETIS BIEIiil 



A DISCOURSE 



IN COMMEMORATION OP 



WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY, 



DKLIVERED IN 



FALLS CHURCH, FAIRFAX CO., VA., 



ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1862. 



By Rev. B. F. Dk COSTA, 

CHAPLAIN OF THE EIGHTEENTH MASSACHUSETTS KEGIMENT 



In Pace B k l l o Primus. 



b u r I E s 1 (u n , |^t a s s , 
1862. 



A DISCOURSE 



IN COMMEMORATION OF 



WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY, 



DELIVERED IN 



FALLS CHURCH, FAIRFAX CO., VA., 



ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1862. 



By rev. B. F. De COSTA, 

CHAPLAIM -^F THE EIGHTEENTH MASSACHUSETTS KEGIMEW] 



In Pace Bello Primu 



barlcstofajn, Pass. 
1862. 






Note. 

On the rccnrrcucc of tlic Anniversary of Washmi^tou's Birthday, the Eighteenth 
Massachusetts Regiment was stationed at Camp Barnes, Hall's Hill, Fairfax 
County, Va. The propriety of holding some commemorative service was suggest- 
ed to the Regiment, and Falls Church, two miles distant from Camp, was select- 
ed as the most appropriate place for the celebration. The following discourse 
was prepared for the occasion, and though composed amid the tumults of a camp 
is now made public in accordance with an expressed wish, as a tribute of respect 
to the memory of Washington. 

The Reader may perhaps be interested to learn that Falls Church was built at a 
very early date, of brick brought fiom England. Without tower or spire, the 
soldier as he approaches on the Eeesburg Turnpike is unable to discern it at a dis- 
tance, but comes upon it suddenly, and finds it embosomed among the lofty 
trees in the surrounding Churchyard. Within are no ecclesiastical adornments, 
no raediioval tracery and painted windows, no dim religious light, and no Gothic 
arch rising grandly to the ceiling, chaunting its perpetual Sursum Corda. And 
yet this simple, unpretending structure, which has no architectural beauty to rec- 
ommend it to the Artist, is an oliject of great interest. For several years ^\'ash- 
ington Mas a Ycstryman of the Parish, and on Sundays he was accustomed to 
ride from Mount Vernon, to attend the services, which were conducted accord- 
ing to the Ritual of the Protestant Episcopal Church. This venerable edifice 
has been sadly neglected and profaned during the present war, and has fallen 
successive!}' into the hands of the rebel and Union troops. Representatives of 
both parties, the victims of a wicked ambition, now peacefully slumber side by 
side in the Churchyard, mourned at desolate firesides from the Carolinas to the 
shores of the Michigan. 

C.\Mi' Barnes, Hall's Hill, Va., Feb. 24th, 1802. 






J 

o 



DISCOUESE. 



"Who being dead yet speaketh." — Heb. 11:4. 

Ij^ VERY life repeats itself. No power is lost in 
-■-^ nature. Change, not annihilation, is the law. 
In mechanics action and reaction are equal. A peb- 
ble cast into the ocean sends a thrill into all its secret 
fountains. The faintest whisper travels around the 
world, and causes a vibration through the entire uni- 
verse. The same law perpetuates the moral and in- 
tellectual forces. The martyrs and confessors and 
warriors of ancient times all live to-day. The lives 
of the lofty and the lowl}' alike possess this all-per- 
vading influence, and share whatever of jj^lory or 
shame may be bound up in the decree of God. The 
humblest of the sleepers lying yonder are remembered 
by those with whom they were formerly accustomed 
to mingle ; and though the pyramids of Egypt may 
eventually crumble back to dust, their influence will 
endure among men when the noblest monuments 
have forever passed away. 

The influence of the departed is manifested in dif- 
ferent ways and in various degrees. Some affect the 



world in a manner that is unobtrusive and scarcely 
observable. Others are felt occasionally. When 
some cycle is finished, their words, uttered long ages 
ago, return to us and strike like "historic hailstones," 
and their memories blaze for a time with cometic 
splendor. There are still others, who instead of ex- 
erting an occasional or periodic influence, rule us con- 
stantly with a firm and unalterable sway. 

Such is the Memory of Washington. 

Other names have been handed down in connection 
with the annals of our beloved country — honored and 
illustrious names — but the name of Washington 
stands preeminent among them all, and to-day it rises 
involuntarily upon our lips. He lives in every 
heart, inspires our national life, and speaks in every 
institution. 

The Character of Washington is well understood 
by the American people, and its elements have often 
been expressed in language that will stand as classic 
so long as the English tongue is spoken. His claim 
to genuine greatness and immeasurable superiority 
over the heroes of his time has been made and gladly 
allowed. I will therefore attempt no eulogy or fresh 
analysis of his character, and will only speak of Wash- 
ington so far as may be necessary to subserve my 
present purpose, which is to — 

ILLUSTRATE OUR DUTY AND RESPONSIBILITY IN 

THIS DARK AND CALAMATOUS HOUR OF NATIONAL TRIAL. 

I. These are times which call, not for theories or 
speculations, or sounding platitudes, but for action. 
Every other consideration dwindles into insignifi- 
cance compared with the one all-absorbing theme of 



present duty, and all discussion should therefore be 
confined simply to consider in what that duty con- 
sists and how it should be performed. 

A few months ago we were quietly pursuing our 
avocations in our respective homes among the hills of 
New England. To-day we stand upon the soil of 
Virginia with arms in our hands, ready to engage in 
deadly conflict with those who but lately were uniting 
with us in offices of devotion and patriotism, and ap- 
parently rejoicing with us in the prosperity of our 
common country. A sad and strange spectacle in- 
deed ! Throughout the length and breadth of this 
vast Republic, the hosts are assembling and girding 
themselves for the fearful struggle. But why this 
terrible conflict, and why are we here to-day? Not 
assuredly for any personal advantage. We have 
come inspired by no dream of ambition and with no 
hopes of golden conquest. We are here not to devas- 
tate and pillage, not to outrage the unoffending, or to 
shed innocent blood ; and if in one hand we bear the 
sword, in the other we bear the sacred olive branch. 

The people of the South have risen in rebellion 
against the regularly constituted authorities of the 
land, and we are now engaged in a stupendous strug- 
gle for its suppression. Of the causes which led to 
this fearful outbreak it is unnecessary to say but a 
word. Disappointed in their schemes to rule the na- 
tion with a rod of iron ; foiled in their efforts to 
transform the charter of our liberties into the patents 
of a slave propaganda ; and humiliated and disgraced 
in the eyes of their constituents, the ambitious and 
unscrupulous leaders of the South resolved on one 



grand effort to win back their lost greatness. How- 
far we may be deemed responsible, I will not under- 
take to say, nor will I inquire in what respect this 
great calamity may be considered a visitation of God, 
permitted as a chastisement for our sins as a nation. 
That the people of both the North and the South had 
prepared the way for the operations of these wicked 
conspirators, cannot be denied. By our forgetfulness 
of God, by our abut^e of our freedom, and by the con- 
tempt for authority, which in past years has engen- 
dered many a scene of violence in the various sections 
of our country, we had been gradually verging to- 
wards a lax condition of public sentiment in every 
respect favorable to the growth of anarchy and rebel- 
lion. In our semi-barbarous eagerness to enjoy the 
fruits of liberty, we had well nigh lain the axe at the 
root of the fiiir and beautious tree which in the ProV'^ 
idence of God was planted in this Western World for 
the healing of the nations. But that is past, and let 
the dead bury the dead — but happy will it be for us, 
as a people, if we learn a lesson of wisdom, and rise 
from the earth to which we are now bowed down, the 
better prepared to continue the struggle, having, like 
fabled Antoeus, renewed our strength by the blessed 
communication. We are now in the midst of the re- 
bellion ; therefore, waiving all other considerations, it 
becomes us to study our duties in this great crisis 
with calmness and deliberation, to remember whither 
our course may tend, and the sacrifices to which it 
may lead us. 

The language of one of Washington's General Or- 
ders, issued at the beginning of a new campaign, 



seems peculiarly appropriate at this time, when the 
winter, which has been a period of inactivity, has 
about passed away, and the paths to the interior are 
beginning to open. He says — 

As the season is now fast approaching when every man must be 
drawn into the field of action, it is highly important that he should pre- 
pare his mind, as well as everything necessary for it. It is a noble 
cause we are engaged in ; it is the cause of virtue and mankind ; every 
temporal advantage and comfort to us and our posterity depends upon 
the vigor of our exertions ; in short, freedom or slavery must be the re- 
sult of our conduct ; there can, therefore, be no greater inducement to 
men to behave well. 

From the noble course suggested here, let nothing 
turn us aside. The eyes of not only the whole coun- 
tr}^, but the whole world, are upon us. They look to 
see if we are faithful to the high trust imposed upon 
us, and in the expectation that we shall achieve some 
action that will be worthy of so exalted a cause as 
that of the Constitution and the Union ; of order and 
freedom and good government. This devotion is de- 
manded of the highest and the lowest. Indifference 
or neglect of the public interest will be deemed 
wholly inexcusable wherever it may be found. The 
times require vigorous, patient, and persistent action. 
Let the fires of patriotism, therefore, be kept alive 
upon the altar of the heart. Let no injury, either 
real or fancied, cause us to deviate for one moment 
from the line of duty, or lead us to look coldly upon 
the interests of our country ; for the moment a sol- 
dier allows any private animosity to interfere with 
the discharge of his obligations, he sinks all that ren- 
ders his service praiseworthy and glorious, and stands 



8 

before his comrades a confessed mercenary. His 
country may neglect him, overlook his merits and 
ignore his claims, but he can never neglect his coun- 
try. To assume that the debt we owe the country is 
cancelled, when the country fails to extend towards 
us that consideration supposed to be due, is a gross 
fallacy, and one which we should expect to find enter- 
tained only by the traitor. The true soldier should 
rise to the noble philosophy which is inculcated by 
the Apostle Paul, when he says — 

For what glory is it, if when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall 
take it patiently ? But, if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it 
patiently, this is acceptable with God. 

It was the practical embodiment of this elevated 
sentiment which invests the life of Washington with 
its halo of beauty. His was a soul not easily disturb- 
ed by any sordid or common consideration. Behold 
him year after year patiently treading the path of 
duty and patriotism, unmindful of the obloquy and 
reproach heaped upon him by his enemies. See him, 
whether in the camp or cabinet, adhering steadily to 
his country's cause, regardless of the ingratitude of 
Congress and the jealousy of his officers. With a 
courage that no danger could appal, with a policy 
that his subordinates were unable to fathom, and with 
a perseverance which no disaster could discourage, he 
held to his sublime course, conscious of his own rec- 
titude, and leaving his motives to be vindicated by the 
certain results. Let us all to-day be incited to follow 
his glorious example, and seek to discharge our obli- 



gations in the same disinterested spirit, remembering 
that duty thus performed brings its own reward. 

This, it seems to me, is a fitting occasion to renew 
our vows of fidelity and allegiance to the country and 
its cause. We are assembled, not only upon the soil 
of his native State, and within a short distance of the 
spot where the ashes of Washington repose, but we 
have come together in the Church where for years he 
was a constant and devout worshipper. These sacred 
walls, now scarred by vandalism, are doubly conse- 
crated. Hither he came, Sunday after Sunday, from 
his home at Mount Vernon, to unite with the Parish, 
of which he was a Vestryman, in the worship and 
praise of Almighty God. The beautiful and express- 
ive forms of prayer that we have repeated to-day, 
were the forms to which he was unalterably attached, 
and through them he ever sought to express the de- 
sires and convictions of his heart. Here he reverent- 
ly inquired what the Lord would have him do ; here 
he listened to the truth as declared by the chosen 
servants of God ; and at this Altar he was accustomed 
to kneel and receive the great distinguishing Sacra- 
ment of the Christian Faith ; while in the Church- 
yard he would afterwards linger and commune with 
his own deep thoughts. This simple, unpretending 
House of God, which has so often witnessed his devo- 
tions, is redolent with the fragrance of his memory ; 
I am right, therefore, when I say that this is a fit time 
and place to pledge ourselves anew to the cause of 
our country. 

II. But I must not rest here. There are other duties 
and obligations binding upon us, besides those claim- 



10 

ed by our country in this hour of danger and peril. 
There are the duties which we owe more espe- 
cially to ourselves and to our God. To inculcate the 
former and neglect the latter would be inexcusable. 
It would also be unwise, since the more faithfully 
men attend to their moral and religious duties, the 
more conscientious will be their devotion to the coun- 
try and its welfare. Other things being equal, the 
man who has enrolled himself under the banner of 
God as a soldier and servant of Christ, will prove the 
bravest and most efficient on the field of battle, or 
wherever else the lofty and commanding qualities 
may be needed. 

It is indeed strange that any one should have sup- 
posed the contrary, or that so sagacious an observer 
as the Duke of Wellington should have made the re- 
mark attributed to him, that "a man of refined Christian 
sensibilities is totally unfit for the profession of a 
soldier." 

The most invincible corps that ever grappled with 
a foe was that memorable Ironsides Regiment, in 
which every man was a Christian man, and who 
charged at Naseby and Marston Moor, chaunting for 
a battle song the inspiring Psalms of David. The 
King's troops, the Cavaliers, were inspired by the lofty 
sentiment of honor ; and, said Cromwell, "to cope with 
these we must have men of religion^ And when 
the hour for action came, the men of his choice, hav- 
ing no fear but the fear of God before their eyes, 
rushed impetuously into the fight at Winceby. The 
proud Cavaliers gave for their watchword •'•Caven- 
dish ;" but the soldiers of the Commonwealth, giving 



11 

the simple word '''■Religion^'' threw themselves upon 
the ranks of the foe and swept them away like chaff 
hefore the wind. The same principle was exhibited 
by Washington, who took great pains to caution his 
ofhcers ag;ainst the enlistment of men of low moral 
principle, and especially those abandoned vagabonds 
to whom all services were alike. Such wield a ''base 
and boisterous sword," nor do they "breathe deliber- 
ate valor," since they fail to endure as seeing Him 
who is invisible. A keen sense of honor and an ex- 
alted patriotism will go tar to sustain a man in the 
hour of danger. But in this case we need to appeal 
to the stronti-est element in human nature. Such 
I conceive religion to be. It underlies every other 
sentiment^ just as in geology the primary rocks 
stretch out beneath all the other strata. The senti- 
ment of religion is indeed less easily aroused than 
many other of the more superficial sentiments, but 
when you once penetrate the overlying mass of sin 
and worldliness by which it is now covered up, you 
reach the main-spring of a man's existence, and, if 
there be faith and trust, you may lead him whither- 
soever you will. To every chivalrous sentiment and 
every emotion of patriotism and honor I desire to do 
full justice. Would that these noble qualities were 
more general. But however wide spread they might 
be they can never take the place of the higher inspi- 
rations. If we reflect for a moment, I think we shall 
feel convinced of this, and that we shall see that the 
sentiment of honor does not create courage, but sim- 
ply sustains it where it may already exist ; while Reli- 
gion, on the contrary, actually creates courage, and 



12 

nerves the weakest with a spirit that will quail be- 
fore no danger. What is death, especially if it be a 
glorious death, to one who sees before him a crown of 
eternal happiness. His courage then rises on the 
wings of his faith, and fearless of the result, he goes 
forth with his naked sword, ready to give "glorious 
chase" to the guilty and to the enemy of mankind 
through all the world. Religion therefore does not 
unfit men for the public service ; on the contrary, it 
inspires them with all those valuable dispositions and 
sentiments that the true soldier could desire. 

I may be permitted here to glance at the view 
sometimes set forth, that the profession of arms is in- 
consistent with the Christian character. It has even 
been declared that no genuine Christian can for one 
hour bear a sword without being untrue to his Mas- 
ter. This conclusion, however, I need not say is 
founded on a very narrow view of human nature and 
the constitution of society. War is certainly a terri- 
ble evil, and there is nothing in bloodshed, />er se, to 
recommend it in the eyes of mankind. It is also true 
that we should always seek to settle our national 
as well as our private difficulties upon the principles 
of peace, and, so far as it lieth in us, to be on amicable 
relations with all men. We may also hope and pray 
for the time when wars and fighting shall cease alto- 
gether ; but till some such happy period arrives, we 
must recognize physical force as one means of the 
public safety. Possibly there may be a time yet to 
come, when the golden age shall return and inno- 
cence reign in every bosom, so that the dreadful ap- 



13 

peal to arms shall be unnecessary. The same result 
might also be achieved by such improvements in the 
enginery of war as would make one man equal to ten 
thousand,, and thus leave us the alternative of univer- 
sal peace, or universal destruction. Till then, or till 
some new dispensation is inaugurated, we must some- 
times resort to violence. It is idle to say that war is 
opposed to the genius of Christianity. At a single 
touch of the Master's wand, the theory of universal 
peace, a beautiful bubble — born of the foam of a false 
philanthropy — dissolves like magic. "The son of 
man came, not to bring peace, but a sword," If any 
man thinks that his religion is so pure that he can- 
not bear a sword tempered with mercy and pointed 
with divine justice, that man's religion is vain. One* 
of the most sainted minds could say, "Blessed be the 
Lord my strength, who teacheth my hands to war 
and my fingers to fight." 

I have thus touched upon these points to show you 
that when I recommend, as I have done at this 
time, the higher duties which you owe to yourselves 
and to God, that I urge nothing inconsistent with 
your present calling as Soldiers. I would therefore 
press upon you those divine obligations to-day, which, 
if faithfully performed, will shed a halo of beauty 
around the entire character. I know the disposition 
which prevails here, to adjourn these claims to some 
distant, and, as most men think, more convenient sea- 
son. I know also the conviction of some minds that 
it is useless here in camp to contend with sin. I 
know also the weakness and the folly of such excuses 
for spiritual neglect. Let me therefore say that now 



14 

is the accepted time and now the day of salvation. 
Life is wasting rapidly away, and opportunities are 
passing never to return. Be persuaded that there 
are higher aims than any of those of earth, and 
brighter crowns than any that are found below. As 
lofty as may be the Patriot's aim, it is bounded by 
the grave ; but the hope of the Christian rests upon 
that nnseen and eternal world — in expectation of 
which we are pilgrims and strangers below. Let us 
not give way to the opinion that the service of our 
country calls us away from the service of God. Let 
us not see in every bad suggestion an obstacle in 
the way of our religious progress. Let us rather con- 
vert these seeming impediments into the means of 
advancement. Let us spiritualize the conflict in 
which we are engaged. When you draw the sword 
or shoulder the musket for the duties of the day, seek 
at the same time to be arrayed with those invis- 
ible weapons not made with hands, but which are 
forged in the armory of heaven. Let every influence 
and every association that clusters around our glorious 
flag be hallowed by religion. See in its ample folds 
the covenant of our great King and mighty God. 
See in its white, the spotless Righteousness of the Re- 
deemer ; in the red, that blood shed for sinners from 
the foundation of the world ; and in its beauteous stars, 
glittering in the field of azure, see an emblem of that 
ransomed and puiified throng who shall shine as stars 
in the kingdom of glory forever and ever. 

Let us remember, too, that the hopes and prayers of 
a multitude of loved ones at home are centered upon 
us here, and that any failure apparent in our bearing 



15 

will be keenly regretted. There are those interceding 
for ns to-day, at the throne of Grace, who would rath- 
er hear that the object of their regard had fallen on 
the field of battle, than to learn that he had departed 
from his integrity and fidelity, from his virtue and his 
manhood. Be true therefore to the expectations of 
the loved ones at home, to our kind friends, to the 
public trust, to the voice of conscience and to God. 
Let us remember the example of the illustrious 
Washington, who was not ashamed to confess Christ 
and to bow humbly before the mysteries of faith, 
and accept Christ as all in all. Be not deceived 
with a vain philosophy, nor led by a paltry and in- 
sufficient ambition. Covet earnestly the best gifts. 
Choose the noblest paths and the loftiest aim, and 
God will show you that more excellent way, which, 
whether it may lead through the walks of peace or 
through the din of battle, will prove as the path of 
the just which shineth more and more unto the per- 
fect day, 



I 



^ ' LiBRftRV OF 0022 






012 028 WO» 



a 



I 



